{"id":98332,"date":"2026-11-08T20:47:26","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T12:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=98332"},"modified":"2026-11-08T20:47:26","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T12:47:26","slug":"haze-in-2026-estimated-to-cost-singapore-2-32-billion-up-4-from-2015-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=98332","title":{"rendered":"Haze in 2026 estimated to cost Singapore $2.32 billion, up 4% from 2015: Experts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"text-primary article-summary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">SINGAPORE \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/politics\/spore-will-work-with-asean-members-to-establish-haze-centre-tackle-root-causes-of-haze-grace-fu?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">The 2026 haze episode<\/span><\/a> \u2013 the worst in more than a decade \u2013 has cost Singapore\u2019s economy S$2.32 billion as at Oct 31, about 4% higher than in 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">This is according to a preliminary estimate from Nanyang Technological University\u2019s (NTU) Euston Quah and Singapore University of Social Sciences\u2019 (SUSS) Eugene Or.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cThe sheer scale of this damage strengthens the case for funding prevention alongside tougher penalties,\u201d they argued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/opinion\/why-singapore-cant-afford-a-hazy-october-each-year?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">The 2026 estimate<\/span><\/a> builds on a published, peer-reviewed cost framework created by Quah, NTU\u2019s Chia Wai Mun and SUSS\u2019 Tan Tsiat Siong in 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Then, they estimated 2015 haze costs to be $1.83 billion, or $2.23 billion in September 2026 prices.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"responsive-iframe-base st_visuals st_visuals-embed\" title=\"st_visuals embed\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/multimedia\/graphics\/2026\/08\/singapore-haze-widget\/index.html\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"accelerometer;falseclipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;\" loading=\"eager\" data-testid=\"responsiveIframe\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Quah and Or arrived at the larger bill for <!-- -->2026<!-- --> despite fewer hazy days and a lower average Pollutant Standards Index reading. The professors attributed this to a larger population, higher incomes and visitor spending, and updated health data and assumptions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The health burden, comprising not just treatment bills, but also the value of reducing the risk of illness and premature death, was higher <!-- -->in 2026<!-- --> than in 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Tourism losses \u2013 both direct and additional business losses \u2013 were also higher in 2026 than 11 years ago, taking into consideration arrivals as well as spending data.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Disruption also shows up in lost time due to illness, whether for work or non-work activities. The 2026 cost was lower than in 2015, as fewer hazy days and lower pollution outweighed higher earnings and population growth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Another cost component considered was protection, such as masks, which fell from 2015 levels. Household growth was offset by the shorter haze duration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Also accounted for in the calculations was well-being, taking into consideration people\u2019s willingness to pay for cleaner air.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"font-primary-headline-md-semibold\" data-testid=\"article-subhead-test-id\">Complementary approaches<\/h2>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Measuring haze losses should guide action, Quah and Or said, adding that understanding who bears the cost can help Singapore target protection and plan adaptations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The data can also be used to pursue cost-sharing with Indonesia and other affected countries to prevent burning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">While the law can assist in preventing fires by changing what businesses stand to lose, the professors also suggested using a complementary \u201cvictim-pays\u201d approach, where affected countries help finance prevention by making alternatives to burning more affordable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cIf supporting fire-free practices costs less than the damage avoided, contributing can leave these countries better off,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">But they also acknowledged that this raises concerns about fairness, and that while public money should fund measurable reductions in fire risk, companies responsible should still be held accountable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cEach proposal still requires a thorough cost-benefit analysis,\u201d they said, noting that measuring haze losses provides a starting point for decision-making.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cA $2.32 billion haze bill does not automatically justify a $2.32 billion prevention budget,\u201d Quah and Or added, suggesting phased funding based on results.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cMeasuring haze damage helps Singapore decide where action could make the greatest difference.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesstimes.com.sg\/singapore\/haze-2026-estimated-cost-singapore-s2-32-billion-4-2015-experts?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">THE BUSINESS TIMES<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/haze-in-2026-estimated-to-cost-singapore-2-32-billion-up-4-from-2015-experts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SINGAPORE \u2013 The 2026 haze episode \u2013 the worst in more than a decade \u2013 has cost Singapore\u2019s economy S$2.32 billion as at Oct 31,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=98332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98332\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/98333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=98332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=98332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=98332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}